6 Must-Have Traits in All Employees

Good help, as they say, is hard to find. But it doesn’t always come down to those tangible skills we tend to talk about. Sought-after people often have a wide range of soft skills — and by “soft” we mean those interpersonal skills that make you…well, human.

Sure, we’re all unique, and it’s your uniqueness that will inevitably land you a job. But if you’re looking to get hired, here are six “human” skills that can help you do it:

1. Positivity. One trait on the top of almost every employer’s list will be positive attitude. After all, positivity can be infectious, and what employer wouldn’t want that particular trait to rub off on the rest of the team?

Plus, maintaining a positive attitude puts people at ease. Colleagues will be more apt to come to you with questions, and being the go-to person on the floor could mean that the next promotion will be yours.

2. Integrity. Doing what you say you’ll do — when you said you’d do it — can go a long way with management. It illustrates that you’re someone who keeps his or her promises, and that you respect other people’s time.

Besides, integrity has a way of establishing some trust and respect from colleagues and management alike. People know that when they give you work that you’ll get it done — and get it done well, at that.

3. Adaptability. Being adaptable may sound obvious. The last thing an employer needs is someone who can’t adapt to a range of tasks, workloads, and circumstances.

Your ability to adapt often demonstrates a willingness to accept new ideas and concepts. It’s also a clear indication of your ability to handle stress. If a time comes when you must juggle multiple projects, management knows you won’t get flummoxed.

4. Resilience. Resilience pretty much goes hand-in-hand with adaptability. Mistakes are like water on a ducks back. They roll right off, and you’ll be quick to recover, if not use them as an opportunity to learn.

By that same token, resilience implies grit, and we all know that someone with grit will do everything in his or her power to see a goal or objective to the end. Nothing gets in the way of your success — in a good way, of course.

5. Curiosity. With more and more companies now putting employees in charge of their own career development, curiosity has become an essential trait in the workplace. Employers want to hire people with a real desire to learn.

The only constant in business is change, employers want to know you see that and you will take the initiative to learn something new. People with a curious streak won’t often let an opportunity like tackling the unknown pass them by.

6. Communication. Your ability to communicate — and communicate well, at that — will strongly correlate with all other traits and skills an employer looks for in a candidate. You must be able to communicate to succeed in all roles.

Beyond that, good communicators are often able motivate others. They can disseminate information and then relay it to the rest of staff, offering clear and actionable directions to proceed. Telling them once is more than enough.

While each employer is looking for a unique set of technical and academic skills, certain “human” skills are universally sought after by recruiters and hiring managers. From entry-level workers to executives, mastering these soft skills will help you succeed in your career while bringing value to your position, no matter what that position entails.